Who is Marlee Matlin?

Marlee Matlin , born on August 24, 1965, is an American actress and activist. Matlin is known for being the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award for Best Actress in her debut film, Children of a Lesser God (1986). She is also known for advocating for greater representation of individuals with disabilities in the entertainment industry. Matlin's acting credits include roles in television series such as Reasonable Doubts (1991–93), Picket Fences (1993–96), The Practice (2000), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2004–2005), My Name Is Earl (2006–2007), The L Word (2007–2009), and Switched at Birth (2011–2017).

What is Marlee Matlin known for?

Marlee Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, activist, and producer. She is known as the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award for Best Actress in her debut film, Children of a Lesser God (1986). Matlin is also known for advocating for greater representation of the hearing impaired and others with disabilities in movies and television.

How did Marlee Matlin become famous?

Marlee Matlin gained recognition as the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award for Best Actress for her debut in Children of a Lesser God (1986). Her performance in a Chicago production of Children of a Lesser God caught the attention of Randa Haines, the film's director, who then cast Matlin in the lead role. Matlin's portrayal of a hearing-impaired cleaning woman who insists on communicating only in American Sign Language was widely praised, earning her a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar, making her the youngest to win the Best Actress Oscar. She is also known for advocating for greater representation of individuals with disabilities in the entertainment industry.

What awards has Marlee Matlin won?

Marlee Matlin is an American actress and activist. She is the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award , which she won for Best Actress in Children of a Lesser God (1986). For the same role, Matlin also earned a Golden Globe Award in 1987 for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. Matlin has also been nominated for several Emmy Awards for her guest appearances on Seinfeld (1994), Picket Fences (1994), The Practice (2000), and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2004).

How has Marlee Matlin helped represent the Deaf community?

Marlee Matlin, an American actress and activist, has significantly contributed to the representation of the hearing impaired and others with disabilities in the entertainment industry. As the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award for Best Actress for her debut film Children of a Lesser God (1986), Matlin has been a pioneer. Beyond acting, she continues to advocate for greater inclusion in movies and television, striving to broaden opportunities and visibility for deaf individuals and those with disabilities.

What are some important movies or TV shows Marlee Matlin has acted in or produced?

Marlee Matlin, an accomplished American actress and activist, is celebrated for her contributions to film and television. After starring in a 1974 production of The Wizard of Oz , Matlin's breakthrough role came with Children of a Lesser God (1986), for which she won an Academy Award for best actress.

Marlee Matlin

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Marlee Matlin smiling at an event in 2016, wearing a sleeveless black dress with colorful floral embroidery.

Quick Facts

In full:: Marlee Beth Matlin

Born:: August 24, 1965, Morton Grove, Illinois, U.S. (age 61)

Awards And Honors:: Golden Globe Award (1987); Academy Award (1987); Academy Award (1987): Actress in a Leading Role; Golden Globe Award (1987): Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Married To:: Kevin Grandalski (1993–present)

Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In):: "I'm with Her" (2004); "My Name Is Earl" (2006–2007); "Code Black" (2016); "Askari" (2001); "What the Bleep!?: Down the Rabbit Hole" (2006); "Two Shades of Blue" (1999); "Reasonable Doubts" (1991–1993); "The Outer Limits" (1995); "Family Guy" (2012–2017); "Switched at Birth" (2011–2017); "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2011); "The One I Love" (2014); "Adventures in Wonderland" (1994); "Some Kind of Beautiful" (2014); "Snitch" (1996); "Spin City" (1997); "The Larry Sanders Show" (1997); "It's My Party" (1996); "ER" (1999); "Gone" (2018); "Judging Amy" (1999); "Gideon's Crossing" (2001); "Blue's Clues" (2002–2003); "This Close" (2018–2019); "The L Word" (2007–2009); "The Practice" (2000); "The Linguini Incident" (1991); "CSI: NY" (2006); "Children of a Lesser God" (1986); "What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?" (2004); "Seinfeld" (1993); "Chicken Soup for the Soul" (1999); "Nip/Tuck" (2008); "Hear No Evil" (1993); "When Justice Fails" (1999); "Walker" (1987); "Excision" (2012); "L'homme au masque d'or" (1991); "Desperate Housewives" (2005); "No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie" (2013); "The Division" (2003); "In Her Defense" (1999); "Cosmos" (2014); "Quantico" (2018); "Limetown" (2019); "Sweet Justice" (1995); "The Player" (1992); "The Magicians" (2017–2019); "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (2004–2005); "Entangled" (2019); "The West Wing" (2000–2006); "Picket Fences" (1993–1996)

See all related content

Marlee Matlin

American actress and producer

Also known as: Marlee Beth Matlin

Written by

Patricia Bauer

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 12, 2026 •History

Top Questions

Who is Marlee Matlin?
Marlee Matlin, born on August 24, 1965, is an American actress and activist. Matlin is known for being the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award for Best Actress in her debut film, Children of a Lesser God (1986). She is also known for advocating for greater representation of individuals with disabilities in the entertainment industry. Matlin's acting credits include roles in television series such as Reasonable Doubts (1991–93), Picket Fences (1993–96), The Practice (2000), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2004–2005), My Name Is Earl (2006–2007), The L Word (2007–2009), and Switched at Birth (2011–2017).
2 Britannica Sources
1. Marlee Matlin: Facts & Related Content
2. Marlee Matlin
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What is Marlee Matlin known for?
Marlee Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, activist, and producer. She is known as the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award for Best Actress in her debut film, Children of a Lesser God (1986). Matlin is also known for advocating for greater representation of the hearing impaired and others with disabilities in movies and television.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Marlee Matlin: Facts & Related Content
2. Marlee Matlin
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did Marlee Matlin become famous?
Marlee Matlin gained recognition as the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award for Best Actress for her debut in Children of a Lesser God (1986).

Her performance in a Chicago production of Children of a Lesser God caught the attention of Randa Haines, the film's director, who then cast Matlin in the lead role. Matlin's portrayal of a hearing-impaired cleaning woman who insists on communicating only in American Sign Language was widely praised, earning her a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar, making her the youngest to win the Best Actress Oscar. She is also known for advocating for greater representation of individuals with disabilities in the entertainment industry.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Marlee Matlin: Facts & Related Content
2. Marlee Matlin
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What awards has Marlee Matlin won?
Marlee Matlin is an American actress and activist. She is the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award, which she won for Best Actress in Children of a Lesser God (1986). For the same role, Matlin also earned a Golden Globe Award in 1987 for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

Matlin has also been nominated for several Emmy Awards for her guest appearances on Seinfeld (1994), Picket Fences (1994), The Practice (2000), and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2004).
2 Britannica Sources
1. Marlee Matlin: Facts & Related Content
2. Marlee Matlin
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How has Marlee Matlin helped represent the Deaf community?
Marlee Matlin, an American actress and activist, has significantly contributed to the representation of the hearing impaired and others with disabilities in the entertainment industry. As the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award for Best Actress for her debut film Children of a Lesser God (1986), Matlin has been a pioneer. Beyond acting, she continues to advocate for greater inclusion in movies and television, striving to broaden opportunities and visibility for deaf individuals and those with disabilities.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Marlee Matlin: Facts & Related Content
2. Marlee Matlin
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What are some important movies or TV shows Marlee Matlin has acted in or produced?
Marlee Matlin, an accomplished American actress and activist, is celebrated for her contributions to film and television. After starring in a 1974 production of The Wizard of Oz, Matlin's breakthrough role came with Children of a Lesser God (1986), for which she won an Academy Award for best actress.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Marlee Matlin: Facts & Related Content
2. Marlee Matlin
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Marlee Matlin (born August 24, 1965, Morton Grove, Illinois, U.S.) is an American actress and activist who was the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award, for best actress for her debut film performance, in Children of a Lesser God (1986). She is also known for seeking greater representation of the hearing impaired and others with disabilities in movies and television.

Matlin lost almost all of her hearing when she was 18 months old. She made her stage debut in a 1974 production of The Wizard of Oz staged by the Children’s Theatre of the Deaf and sponsored by the Center on Deafness, then in Des Plaines, Illinois, and she continued to act with that theatre for the next several years. Following her graduation from high school, Matlin began studying criminal justice at a community college with an eye toward becoming a police officer, but, upon learning that her deafness would severely limit her options in law enforcement, she left school.

In 1985 Matlin was cast in a supporting role in a revival by Chicago’s Immediate Theatre of the play Children of a Lesser God, which had won a Tony Award in 1980. Her performance won notice, and when Randa Haines, the director of the film adaptation, saw a video of that production, she cast Matlin in the lead role of her movie, opposite William Hurt. Matlin was widely acclaimed for her moving portrayal of a hearing-impaired cleaning woman at a school for the deaf who insists on communicating only in American Sign Language. Matlin earned a Golden Globe Award, and she became the youngest performer to win the Oscar for best actress.

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema).

Britannica Quiz

Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia

Matlin next played the wife of the title character in the widely panned film Walker (1987), and she portrayed the deaf mother of a hearing daughter who has to fight her own (hearing) mother for the child’s custody in the television movie Bridge to Silence (1989). Matlin later starred with Mark Harmon in the TV series Reasonable Doubts (1991–93), and she was twice nominated (1992 and 1993) for a Golden Globe Award for her role as an assistant district attorney in that series. She played the mentally disabled title character in the TV movie Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story (1994), and she appeared in the film melodrama It’s My Party (1996).

Matlin was nominated for an Emmy Award for a 1994 guest appearance on Seinfeld. She had a recurring role (1993–96) as Mayor Laurie Bey in the TV series Picket Fences, and she received (1994) a second Emmy nomination for that role. Matlin was nominated a third time for an Emmy for a 2000 guest role on The Practice, and she received a fourth Emmy nomination for a 2004 guest role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In the documentary What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? (2004), she played a fictional photographer. In the early 21st century Matlin had recurring roles on The West Wing, My Name Is Earl, The L Word, Switched at Birth, and Quantico. Her films from this period included the family drama CODA (2021), which features a largely deaf cast; the movie title stands for “Child of Deaf Adults.”

Patricia Bauer The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Marlee Matlin

Thank you for signing up!